Gifted and Talented Education supports excellence in the SRVUSD through a program that enhances the education of all students while addressing the specific needs of the gifted. A number of key elements are important to the success of our program:

an equitable identification process

enrichment and pacing that ensures continuous academic growth

flexibility in grouping - both heterogeneous and homogeneous

school site plans that include the needs of the GATE population and resources to address those needs

staff development in GATE strategies

parent education and involvement

accountability through evaluation

School GATE Contacts - Call your child's school for school specific information:

GATE Parent Representative, GATE Teacher Representative or the School Principal

Meeting the Needs of GATE Students

San Ramon Valley Unified School District provides GATE students with programs that are planned and organized as an integrated, differentiated learning experience within the regular school day and may be augmented or supplemented with other enrichment activities related to the core curriculum.

Differentiated curriculum is one that regularly provides opportunities for gifted students to experience instructional techniques that address one or more of the following questions about instruction:

Pace: Is the child moving through the curriculum at a pace that insures continuous progress?

Depth: Does the curriculum allow the gifted child to go deeper than the surface of a subject area?

Complexity: Is the gifted child challenged by critical thinking and higher order thinking skills in the classroom?

Product: Does the child have the opportunity to be creative and to apply knowledge to real life situations?

Program Options

Elementary:

In the SRVUSD, each elementary school addresses the needs of GATE students as part of their Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA). This site plan is available at the school for your information.

In grades 3-5, GATE students are grouped together by forming clusters within the heterogeneous class. In addition, some schools use part-time grouping where GATE students from more than one class are brought together for instructional purposes.

Secondary:

At the middle school level, GATE students are clustered within core subject classes in grades 6-8. All students have the opportunity to be on an accelerated math pathway based on their demonstration of mastery of prerequisite skills.

At the high school level, all students have the opportunity to be admitted into Honors and Advanced Placement classes in selected courses based on performance. Eligibility for Honors and Advanced classes is determined by the results of assessments designed for specific courses and/or by teacher recommendation. The visual and performing arts classes base entrance into advanced classes on auditions.

GATE Task Force

In the 2018-19 school year, we are convening a GATE Task Force. There are three goals for this team: learn from research and best practices, evaluate our current programs, and make recommendations. About 20 people representing various groups will be selected, including board member, administrators, teachers, parents, and middle/high students. It is our hope to gather as open-minded and thoughtful individuals who care about meeting the needs of all students, share their own perspective, and consider others’ views different from their own. This application was posted and open from Sept. 26-Oct. 10. Meetings are held about once a month from November to April.

New Students in Grades 3-8 Previously Identified as Gifted in Former District: Previously identified gifted students who enter SRVUSD are considered for GATE identification as determined by the SRVUSD's GATE identification criteria. Parents should provide their student’s GATE identification paperwork to their school office. The paperwork needs to include: 1. document that certifies that the student was in a gifted program, and 2. name of assessment measure(s) and student’s scores used to qualify the student for GATE. Please contact Cathy McSweeney if you have questions.